The beautiful city of Reykjavik on Iceland will form the frame of the fourth Nordic Lipidforum Academy between May, 30th to June, 3rd. The Lipidforum Academy is a course aiming at giving PhD-students and employees in the fat and oil industry a broad overview of selected areas in lipid science and technology, as well as providing an arena for networking between scientist in academia and industry.

On the three earlier occasions that Lipidforum Academy have taken place (2007 in Gothenburg, 2009 in Copenhagen and 2011 in Ålseund), it has been great successes, in particular due to the very productive mix of participants from academia and industry, as well as skilled and engaged lecturers.

This year, the subjects covered will be “Lipids as Raw Material”, covering (fish) marine and vegetable oils, “Lipids in Food”, “Lipids in Pharma” – covering a case story on “EPANOVA” and a lecture on Lipids in Drug Delivery, “Lipids in Nutrition”, with particular focus on lipid nutrition in early life, “Lipids in skin and skin-care” and “Enzymes in Lipid Technology”. On top of this, the participants will also perform a small literature based project group work, on an area not covered by the lectures.

The course ends, just in time to continue to the 28th Nordic Lipidforum Symposium in Reykjavik, starting on June, 3rd and closing on June, 6th. We are convinced that this course will be as successful as the previous ones, considering the strong group of lecturers including for example Prof. Anna Nicolaou, The University of Manchester, Prof. Gudmundur Haraldsson, University of Iceland and many others distinguished specialists in their fields.

In Memoriam: Wilhelmus Nicolaas Konings (1936–2014)

On Saturday 5 July 2014, Wilhelmus Nicolaas Konings (known as Wil), Emeritus Professor of Molecular Microbiology at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, passed away unexpectedly at the age of 77. He was born and grew up in Maastricht, one of six children, including a twin brother Taes. At age 15, a high-school science teacher aroused his interest in biology, and particularly in biochemistry. As a youth, Wil was a long-distance swimmer, competing in the Netherlands, Belgium and France; he also competed in long-distance skating and was head of the debating club. He took up sculpturing as an adult. Wil is survived by his wife of over 50 years, Ine Konings-Stolte, a lawyer, and three children, Karen (a cardiologist), Wouter (an industrial designer) and Lili (a psychiatric social worker) and eight grandchildren.

Konings received his Ph.D. from the University of Groningen in 1969. From 1969 to 1971 he worked at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), in Bethesda, Maryland, as a postdoctoral fellow. In 1971, he was appointed Lecturer at the University of Groningen, and in 1980, he became Professor of Microbiology. In 2002, he retired as Professor Emeritus, leaving a legacy of more than 440 scientific papers and 7 patents, as well as numerous students and postdoctoral scientists who were trained in his laboratory. After retiring from the University of Groningen, he became associated with the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa where he lectured for more than ten years.

Wil had an engaging and striking personality, and from the mid-1970s, he played a prominent role in the field of microbiology, especially in membrane biology. He was an outstanding researcher with an international reputation and stature in the rich tradition of Dutch microbiology. Scientifically, he will be remembered best for his extensive work on substrate transport in bacteria and archaea.

The symposium will be hosted in Firenze Fiera Congress and Exhibition Center located inside the 18th century Villa Vittoria, at walking distance from the historical centre of one of the most beautiful towns of Italy, rich of artistic masterpieces, with an ancient history rich of arts and science.

Palazzo Vecchio, Piazza della Signoria, Ponte Vecchio, the Dome, Galleria degli Uffizi are world wide well known symbols of this ancient town, where Leonardo da’ Vinci began his work, before moving to Milan and other Europeans towns.
Tradition in hosting science in Florence dates back to 1753, when the “Accademia dei Georgofili” was established, the headquarter is in the Uffizi Gallery building.

With such a background, the choice for the 2015 Euro Fed Lipid congress in Italy was really easy!

Science, however is still alive in Florence and its region, Tuscany, with different University (Florence itself, Pisa, Siena) and a number of research centre (National Research Council of Italy - CNR) where research is actively carried out on several topics, enclosing Agricultural and Food Science which are the basis of the topics to which Euro Fed Lipid looks to.

Tuscany agricultural landscape is well known for food production and some of these like extra virgin olive oil will be one of the topics of Euro Fed Lipid congress, however, within the frame of a developed agricultural and food industry production, other topics like Plant lipids and oilseeds as well as Animal Science will surely meet interests outside of the “traditional” Euro Fed Lipid attendants.

This year marks the 42th anniversary of the publication of the fluid mosaic model of cell membranes by Singer and Nicholson. While it was a seminal paper in the lipid field, the authors did make one unfortunate mistake by depicting lipids as “bland” molecules, serving primarily as a passive barrier and a host for membrane proteins, an idea that has been adopted by many standard biochemistry textbooks. Much has changed since then and now it is hard to find any area of biology where lipids do not play “crucial” regulatory roles. The critical roles of lipids are ever expanding to many unsuspected areas, and that is the topic of our first session: Multi-Talented Lipids.

Recent advances in chemical biology and molecular imaging technologies have allowed researchers to identify new lipid-binding proteins, specifically manipulate diverse lipid signaling, and directly monitor lipid dynamics and lipid-mediated cellular activities with high spatiotemporal resolution. These exciting new developments will be covered in two sessions, Lipids Meet Chemistry and Lipids Caught in Action, as well as a workshop, Chemical and Optogenetic Manipulation of Lipid Signaling.

With all this functional information, the time is ripe for mechanistic investigation on how lipids can perform such diverse regulatory roles, with a special emphasis on how lipids regulate the structure and function of their effector proteins. In the final session (Lipid Magic: How Do They Do it?), we will witness how state-of-art structural and analytical tools have led to mind-boggling new discoveries that answer this important question. Overall, these sessions will not only present new functional information on lipids and new technologies to study lipids but also help change the way both experts and non-experts think about and study lipid-mediated cellular processes. Everyone is invited to this lipid celebration.

From Protein Trafficking to Lipid Sorting: A Fascinating Lipid Journey

By Daniel M. Raben

In the newest “Lipid News” article, Fred Maxfield discusses how he became interested in lipid trafficking that eventually led him to some seminal discoveries. As Fred notes in his article “Basic mechanisms for maintaining distinct lipid compositions in different organelles are only partially understood, which means that this is an area where fundamental principles are still awaiting discovery”. And much was discovered. This article outlines Fred’s discovery of lipid sorting and trafficking using a variety of state-of-the-art techniques. It’s a wonderful story that highlights discovery that arises from the interdisciplinary approaches of cell biology biochemistry and biophysics of membranes. It’s a fun read and one that captures the excitement of graduate student that still lives in an established investigator.

LIPID NEWS: Desperately seeking Sputnik for fundamental science

It is clear that researchers and the public need something around which they can rally, but what should it be?

By Daniel M. Raben and Joseph J. Baldassare

We have been pondering an important question: Do we need a Sputnik for fundamental science? We have become convinced that we do, which leads us to another question: What might our Sputnik be?

The need for increased funding for research and training became a national priority 55 years ago after the launch of the first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, by the former Soviet Union. Sputnik inspired President Kennedy in 1961 to challenge NASA to put a man on the moon and return him to Earth before the close of that decade.

This challenge reawakened a national interest in science and support for funding of both applied and fundamental research. These investments paid off in many ways. The 1960s spawned a number of scientific discoveries — the first laser, the first kidney transplant, the first commercial communication satellite, the first human heart transplant and the first handheld calculator. NASA directed a successful round-trip manned flight to the moon in 1969. In addition, advances in our understanding of basic biomedical science, physics and astrophysics led to technological advances that today are part of everyday life.

But now the nation appears to have lost sight of the role of science and the need to maintain funding for science. What do we need to do to spur enthusiasm in lawmakers and the general public for fundamental research similar to the enthusiasm that was present after Sputnik?

First, let’s look at why the launch of Sputnik was so effective. One obvious and important reason is national pride: The Russians were beating us! But today, because of rapid communication and other factors, the scientific community is global. Appealing to national pride alone is not only short-sighted but counterproductive. Clearly, global scientific collaboration is necessary. Focusing on national competition could damage collaborations important for future advances and discoveries.

Today, when we do engage in public discourse about science, we often hear the refrain, “We put a man on the moon in 10 years, so why can’t we cure cancer?” What people fail to realize, and what scientists fail to communicate effectively, is that we understood the laws of physics and essential aspects of cosmology necessary to put someone on the moon and return them to Earth. But we don’t understand all the rules of cancer and a variety of other diseases and destructive natural phenomena. That’s why we need to support fundamental research!

Clearly, it’s a major challenge to convince the general public once again of the vital role of science, especially fundamental research, to maintain and improve our lifestyles and lives. So we are putting the question to you: How can we inspire widespread support for advances in fundamental research that provide the foundations on which practical discoveries and applications depend? Which mission or cause do you think could be the Sputnik of fundamental science?

This year’s Shaw Young Investigator in Lipid Research Award WinnerisMary L. Kraft at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Kraft’s research focuses on using mass spectrometry to image lipids in cellular systems. She has developed and applied new and important methodologies to assess the organization of cholesterol and sphingolipids in the plasma membrane.

This year’s Avanti Award in LipidsWinner isSandra L. Hofmann at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. Dr. Hofmann’s research focuses on the metabolism of proteins modified by lipids. This work has lead to a better understanding of how mutations in the palmitoyl protein thioesterase gene contribute to a group of hereditary brain disorders called the neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses.

Check out the new thematic series on Fat-Soluble Vitamins in the Journal of Lipid Research. This series is introduced by Mary L. Chang ASBMB Publications Manager for the Journal of Lipid Research in the August issue of ASBMB today:

Vitamins A, D, E and K are the four fat-soluble vitamins required to maintain good health in higher organisms. The July issue of the Journal of Lipid Research marks the beginning of a thematic series on these vitaminscoordinated by editorial board member William S. Blaner of Columbia University. The special section in the July issue includes an introductory editorial by Blaner and four reviews from experts on vitamin A. Subsequent issues this year will explore vitamins D, E and K.

In developing countries, vitamin A deficiency remains a major public health concern, and much research is focused on identifying populations most at risk. Coordinated efforts in molecular research to develop vitamin-A–fortified plant sources could help eradicate this public health problem. Epidemiologic studies are being conducted to understand how dietary intake of the vitamin might be related to development or incidence of certain diseases. The four thematic reviews in July’s JLR focus on vitamin A’s molecular actions and its metabolism.

In one review, Abdulkerim Eroğlu and Earl H. Harrison of Ohio State of University explore the research insights on carotenoid conversion to vitamin A, carotenoid metabolism to create apo-carotenoids, and the actions and metabolism of carotenoids in higher animals.

Columbia University’s Sheila M. O’Byrne and William S. Blaner’s contribution to the series examines how vitamin A is stored in the body as retinyl esters, how they evolved, and how mobilization of these stores is achieved through the actions of specific vitamin-A–binding proteins and enzymes.

Natalia Y. Kedishvili of University of Alabama at Birmingham reviews what is known of the formation of retinoic acid and how it is broken down and eliminated from cells and tissues.

In the fourth and final review, Ziad Al Tanoury, Aleksandr Piskunov and Cecile Rochette-Egly of France’s Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire discuss what is known about the retinoic acid receptors, how retinoic acid can affect genomic expression and the nongenomic effects of vitamin A.

ASBMB science writer Raj Mukhopadhyay has written some fascinating lipid-related blog posts. Check out one of the latest posts showcasing research indicating that gut bacteria may be a source of male steroid hormones. There are many more fascinating posts to browse on her blog Wild Types!